50 Choosing Your First Language Sometimes there’s a good reason to know an obscure programming language. One of the oldest programming languages, COBOL, was heavily used by businesses back when computers filled entire rooms and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Because many COBOL programs are still running today, COBOL programmers can actually make a nice living because so few programmers know COBOL. So knowing an obscure language might limit your opportunities, but at the same time, if someone needs a programmer who knows a particular programming language, you could be the only one they could hire (and have to pay big bucks as a result). Choosing Your First Language So should you start studying BASIC or C as your first programming language? Yes and no, depending on who you ask. C the BASIC choices Here’s why you might consider studying either BASIC or C as your first programming language. ✦ Because BASIC and C are two of the most popular languages used, you need to know one (or both) of them eventually, so you might as well start understanding them right from the beginning. ✦ BASIC was originally designed to teach programming, so understanding BASIC can be easy, fun, and fast. ✦ By studying BASIC, you can focus on understanding programming principles without getting lost in the technical details of how a computer or operating system works, or learn confusing commands or cryptic syntax that can make programming harder than necessary. Understanding C can be important because so many programming languages (such as Java, C++, C#, and Perl) are based on the C language. So after you know C, you’ll have no trouble understanding Java, C++, or practically any other programming language based on C. With so many people using C (or languages like Java or C++, which are derived from C), any C programmer can find plenty of work, so knowing C is practically a necessity for anyone who wants to make a living as a programmer. Because you’ll probably need to know C eventually, you might as well start with C from the beginning. Having second thoughts Ultimately, there’s no “perfect” programming language to know and use because every programming language is designed to solve one problem

Choosing Your First Language 51 extremely well (and hopefully prove useful enough to solve other problems, too). BASIC was designed to be easy to understand. C was designed to create efficient and powerful programs. Book I Chapter 3 BASICally disrespected From a financial point of view, BASIC programmers usually earn less than C programmers, even if they’re doing the exact same job. Part of the reason for this is that BASIC suffers from the perception that it’s a toy language — unsuitable for commercial use. Although that was true at one time, the BASIC language has evolved to the point where it can do practically anything C or other languages can do. Types of Programming Languages Although you can use BASIC to create anything from satellite navigation systems to Wall Street financial trading programs, BASIC programmers will probably always get paid less, so you’ll need to know another language like C anyway, just to get paid more. Because BASIC programmers tend to get paid less than other programmers, many programmers feel that they might as well skip BASIC and just figure out C instead. C, it’s kinda hard There’s nothing wrong with studying C as your first programming language. The biggest problem with C is that it’s not an intuitive language for beginners to learn and understand. With its cryptic syntax and odd use of symbols in place of actual words, understanding C means trying to figure out how to program while also wrestling with trying to figure out C, which essentially doubles the effort needed to know how to program a computer. As a result, many beginners get frustrated with C as their first programming language and wind up more confused than ever. Imagine how many people would want to drive a car if it meant knowing how to refine their own gasoline and build their own engine. Understanding C isn’t quite as difficult as refining gasoline or building a combustion engine, but it can seem that way, especially when you’re programmingfor the first time and you start with the C language. So if you’re going to begin programming, you should definitely understand C eventually, but not necessarily as a first language. You don’t need to know BASIC, but BASIC can definitely help you understand how programming works. If you figure out BASIC first and then figure out C, you’ll know two of the most popular languages on the planet. The more programming languages you know, the better you can understand the benefits and drawbacks of all programming languages, including favorites like BASIC and C. Ultimately, the best programming language to discover first is the language that makes programming easiest and fun for you, whether that language is as simple as BASIC, as arcane as assembly language, or as obscure as SNOBOL.